Wildlife sightings for 26th July 2014
3 Snipe - wader scrape, grazing marsh
6 Little Ringed Plover - 3 adults 3 chicks on the wader scrape
1 Common Sandpiper - main lake
2 Kingfisher - wader scrape
1 Swallow -
1 Marsh Harrier juvenile - grazing marsh
July bird highlights: Hobby, Red Kite, Black-Tailed Godwit, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Ruff, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher, Treecreeper, Rock Pipit.
Common Tern are still nesting with the Black-headed Gulls on the purpose-built rafts out on the main lake and reservoir lagoon. Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Cetti’s Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff and Reed Bunting have all bred successfully so far this summer. A few occasional waders (Green Sandpiper, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Ruff) have been in evidence since the first half of the month, feeding on the muddy edges of the main lake and wader scrape. A pair of Little Ringed Plover are nesting on the scrape. At least 3 broods of Lapwing have nearly fledged from both the scrape and the marsh. Small numbers of Teal and Shoveler, now going into eclipse plumage, have appeared on the scrape since the end of June.
Flowering plants: Black Medick, Buckthorn, Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill, Dog-rose, Globeflower, Greater Celandine, Horseradish, Meadow Clary, Raspberry, Yellow Iris, Common Stork’s-bill, Goat’s-beard, Hairy Tare, Hoary Cress, Adder’s-tongue fern, Common Spike-rush, Dogwood, Germander Speedwell, Glaucous Sedge, Hedgerow Crane’s-bill, Meadow Foxtail, Red Clover, Round-leaved Crane’s-bill, Solomon’s Seal, Star-of-Bethlehem, Tuberous Comfrey, White Campion, White Water-lily, Beaked Hawk’s-beard, Bird Cherry, Bistort, Bluebell, Bogbean, Bugle, Cleavers, Clustered Mouse-ear, False Fox-sedge, Field Forget-me-not, Garlic Mustard, Greater Stitchwort, Greater Tussock-sedge, Guelder-rose, Lesser Pond-sedge, Meadow Buttercup, Ox-eye Daisy, Pendulous Sedge, Red Campion, Red Valerian, Salad Burnet, Smooth Meadow-grass, Sweet Vernal-grass, Whitebeam.
Butterflies: Meadow Browns, Large Skipper, Essex Skipper, Small Skipper, Small Tortoishell, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Green-veined White, Small White, Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Comma, Speckled Wood (mid-July survey)
Moths: Elephant Hawk-moth, Lime Hawk-moth, 2 Treble Lines, Heart & Dart, and 3 Light Brocade all caught in overnight moth trap at Explore playground; Cinnabar Moth.
Dragonflies: Hairy Dragonfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Emperor Dragonfly, Azure Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle.
Hoverflies: Melanostoma scalare, Epistrophe eligans, Riponnensia splendens, Eristalis pertinax, Eristalis intricarius, Myathropa florea, Helophilus pendulus.
Other insects: Honey Bee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder Bee, Hairy-footed Flower-bee, Common Green Shield-Bug, Large Red Damselfly, 7-Spot Ladybird, Harlequin Ladybird.
Reptiles: Slow Worms on banks, adult Grass Snakes occasionally seen swimming in water (1ft immature recorded 19th in Wildside), Common Lizards basking on bridges, hides, log piles etc, and hatchlings are starting to emerge, first seen in Wildside.
Bats: Soprano Pipstrelle, Nathusius’ Pipistrelle, Leisler’s Bat, Noctule Bat, Daubenton’s Bat, Serotine Bat, Common Pipistrelle.
